A/N: Hehe, I fixed it. Sorry 'bout that, guys.
As soon as the flames spit Perci and Callum out into Coldwell manor, Perci turned on Callum with an accusing glare.
"Would you like to tell me what that was all about hmm? Planning some kind of betrothal?" Perci hissed quietly, slipping back into her American accent as she had often done when angered.
Callum's eyes widened in surprise at her accusation. " A betrothal..." he stopped to think about it. It did make sense considering Perci's status and age but he would never to that to his granddaughter.
"No, no Perci I'm sorry. That's not it at all. You see ever since you've mastered Occlumency, you've been so closed off. It's like you don't have emotions anymore. You were getting worse and worse so finally, I figured you would want to have someone your age to talk to. And so, a trip to the Malfoys'."
Percy relaxed and her glare softened slightly.
"Thank you, grandfather, I hadn't even noticed I was losing touch with my emotions. And having a friend could be great for me. However, you will never presume to be able to choose my friends EVER Again.
A flash of anger shot through Callum. "Now let me remind you yo-"
"No Callum, let ME remind YOU." Perci interrupted, the fury returning to her eyes. "I am my own person. I make my own decisions. I have been through, not even that, I LED a godsdamned war. When I was twelve years old. Don't you dare question my judgement or my sanity.
All of Callum's anger seeped away and he stood there shocked. Perci's emotions were causing her to lose hold of her magic and it was flaring out.
The feeling was like heaven, swirling around him in waves, making the air hum. Her power was unlike even his husband's, it was much greater and lacked the malicious feel of Tom's magic.
No, Perci's magic was much more dangerous. it disguised itself, luring a person in than revealed it's true nature and condemned the person to torture.
The magic in the air had Callum's knees buckling and his eyes glazing over. Perci finally snapped out of her rage and realized what was happening.
All of a sudden, there was no trace of the magic, the only sign any of the last few minutes happening being the devastated look on Perci's face.
"That's why," Perci whispered, backing away from Callum. "Because without a tight leash, that's what happens. I hurt people, the people I love."
Still dazed by Perci's loss of control, Callum didn't even notice his granddaughter flee the chamber, searching solace in her room.
'That power' He thought. His granddaughter made his husband seem like an ant, if even. She would one day bring the world to its knees, She would lead it through the fog of prejudice they were lost in and into the sunny field of acceptance and empathy. Her hand would guide not only the wizarding world but that of the demigods too. She would be a goddess of the new world.
His senses over-stimulated, Callum collapsed onto the stone floor of their parlour as though it was the softest bed he had ever had the pleasure of sleeping in.
/
Perci fled to her bedroom, closed the door quickly and proceeded to slide down the hardwood. She landed on the carpeted floor with a thump, her hands flying up to her face to muffle her sobs.
She had just hurt the one person in her life that cared for her, the one person she cared for. He had collapsed because she'd lost control. then she had just left him there, without even checking for a pulse.
The mindset she had had nearly 2 and a half years ago. That she was a villain, a murderer came flooding back.
Perci fought through the helplessness and self-hate. She remembered the exercises Will Solace had given her before she had pushed him away.
She drew steady breaths, shutting her eyes tight. The erratic beating of her heart slowed and evened out a bit, her breathing became rhythmic. She focused on the beating of her heart and the coming and going of oxygen in her lungs. A bit calmer, Perci let her eyes piercing turquoise eyes open, thinking of what she had to do.
She grabbed a cloak, her glamour ring and some shoes from her closet which, at her grandfather's instance, consisted of mostly heels. (Callum was incredibly advanced for when he was born but some habits and stereotypes remained. He also made a great point about people underestimating Perci's ability to engage in physical combat whilst wearing 6-inch heels which was frankly very impressive.)
She ventured back into the parlour to find her grandfather collapsed on the stone floor. Fighting the panic rising in her throat, she rushed forward to check his pulse.
A wave of relief shot through her when she could feel his heart beating at a reasonable pace and his chest rising and falling. He was only asleep.
Using a levitation charm, she got Callum to his bed and tucked him in, placing a few warming charms and spells that would alarm her if something went wrong with his vitals or brain activity on him.
She then walked back to the parlour and apparated just outside Malfoy manor. She walked in through the gates, no doubt alarming the Malfoys to her presence.
Once she got to the large double doors, she knocked, hoping the Malfoys wouldn't ignore her or think her a threat. To her relief, the Malfoy matriarch opened the door, albeit with her lips pressed together tightly.
"Welcome Miss Coldwell, How may we be of assistance this afternoon?" Mrs Malfoy asked the young woman at her door.
"I'm sorry if I'm causing any inconvenience Lady Malfoy but I was wondering if your son was available. He's a charming young man and we hadn't quite had the chance to finish the conversation we were having. It was truly fascinating. If now isn't a good time, I would love to be in correspondence with him.
The Lady Malfoy's impassive look turned to a small smile as Perci praised her son.
"It's no trouble at all Miss Coldwell. Please, come in. I'll call Draco down."
Perci stepped into the parlour of Malfoy manor and waited politely at the door while Mrs Malfoy fetched her son. She breathed in and out reminding herself that she was doing this for Callum's sake. She owed him this much. She would befriend the young Malfoy and make of him a close confidant.
She was so lost in thought that she nearly didn't notice when Draco and his mother made their way down a staircase.
"Phoebe! it's nice to see you again, and so soon too!" The younger Malfoy seemed a bit confused by her presence at the Manor but didn't comment upon it.
Percy forced a grin onto her face. "Well, our previous conversation was so interesting that I simply had to come so that we may continue it."
"Shall we head back to the gardens then Phoebe?"
"I would love to Draco."
With that, the pair linked arms and walked towards the gardens, Perci giving a respectful nod to Lady Malfoy. The only sound that could be heard as they strolled was the rhythmic clicking of Perci's heels.
The two eventually reached a very pretty alcove with a bench that gave a breathtaking view of the lower gardens, an expanse of green with occasional patches of colour that Perci assumed were flowers
"Your gardens are beautiful Draco."
Draco smiled but seemed preoccupied with something.
"Why are you here Phoebe? You ignored me for the entirety of the time we had with each other but now you're here, unexpected and not to be rude but uninvited. I don't get it."
p "Draco Malfoy, I was an absolute git today. I've come to realise that I do need a friend and if you don't want anything like that, I completely understand. I just haven't had a lot of interaction with others my age, I don't understand how to be young, to be a teen. I only know that to relieve myself from the pain I've felt in my short years, I've cut myself off from my emotions.
But today, bottling everything up seriously hurt someone. I need someone to interact with, to befriend. I want that someone to be you."
Draco just sat in the alcove, his jaw wide open in a very unpureblood manner. It closed mechanically and he seemed to shake off the shock.
"'Sure thing Ice Queen."
Perci snorted at the nickname but smiled at the boy beside her. soon enough the pair was in deep conversation about not as deep subjects. Their talk came easy, neither feeling uncomfortable nor missing a subject to speak of.
At about 3 pm, Lady Malfoy who, seeing Perci's friendship with her son, insisted to be called Cissa, brought some tea for the pair.
Their time together didn't end until it was nearly dinner time, and the sky had gone from being an ocean with clouds to being a fierce flame, hues of red-orange and yellow painting the sky. Draco was excitedly explaining the rules of Quidditch to Perci when he was called in for dinner, with an invitation for Perci to stay as well.
Perci gracefully declined, claiming that her grandfather would worry if she was out past dinner. She said her goodbyes to the Malfoy families a walked back to the edge of the gate, smiling fiercely. Opening up, sharing her feelings had helped her in unimaginable ways. Her Magic wasn't fighting her to get out anymore. It had settled itself which made Perci's task of restraining it infinitely easier.
Perci apparated home to find Callum sitting at the table, ignoring the steaming soup in front of him to worriedly staring at his watch.
"Hello grandfather," Perci said softly.
Callum turned, startled. "Perci..."
She was suddenly engulfed in Callum's powerful arms. "Never scare me like that again Perci" Her grandfather choked out, keeping tears from streaming down his face.
"I'll try grandfather, I really will," Perci said, extracting herself from her Grandfather's embrace
"Where did you go anyways?"
"To the Malfoys'. I befriended Draco and you were right. You were right the whole time. I'm sorry Grandfather, I'm so, so sorry."
Perci focused on making it better, fixing her relationship with her guardian. Only Callum noticed the glowing light making its way through her body, filling her veins with sunlight. It travelled down her legs and formed obscure runes and forms around them. It crept down her arms and into him.
Callum was suddenly filled with an amazing sense of Joy. A kind of joy he hadn't felt since the demise of his husband since they'd lost their daughter.
He loved the feeling as it travelled through his body, making him feel younger than he had in years, turning back time on his poor bruised soul. Little did he know, time was being turned for his real body too.
The pair stepped away from their embrace and Perci jumped back when she saw her grandfather's new appearance. He looked like he was in his twenties, with his handsome, chiselled face and his renewed muscle mass. He wasn't disgustingly bulky, his muscles didn't bulge. Instead, he was lithe, like a swimmer. He looked regal, powerful and untouchable.
"Grandfather?" Perci questioned.
"It seems you've accidentally deaged me Perci dear."
"Well, uh, you look very handsome?" Perci said in attempted consolation.
"Callum chuckled. "No need for consolation dear girl, I look better than ever before."
Perci smiled. "I'm sure grandpa will love that when he gets back," she said, wiggling her eyebrows with the hidden implications.
Callum's chuckling became a roar of laughter. "I'm sure he will," The man said with a wink.
Perci blushed bright pink, even though the current conversation had nothing to do with her.
"Well, why don't we eat dinner, I would hate for it to go to waste."
"Of course grandfather" Perci seated herself at the unnecessarily long table, soul still filled with mirth from the happenings of the afternoon and evening.
The pair sipped their soup in a comfortable silence, with Callum still marvelling at Perci's impressive display of accidental magic and Perci thinking of her newfound friend, wondering how much longer it would be until they could talk about nothing and everything once more.
/
"Perci, wake up, It's time for your final lesson!"/p
Perci awoke, her raven hair falling in her face. She sat up, avoiding the impressive puddle of spit that had formed on her pillow over the night.
She jumped out of bed when she remembered what day it was. Her final lesson, the last day before she could be part of something bigger than her before she could help get grandpa back before she could meet more kids her age before she could go to Hogwarts. The last lesson until her cage door opened and she could finally spread her wings and fly. Sure, she had Draco, whom she had grown to love like a brother but she was ready to meet new people, not just who her grandfather approves.
She shrugged on a tee-shirt, shorts and some sports shoes before jogging from her room to the duelling room. Her grandfather was already waiting there, tapping his feet impatiently.
"He grinned when he saw him. "Late for your last class?" he teased.
"Let's just get on with it."
"As you wish. Today is like your final test. we're going to duel. Without wands."
"Ha, I'll go easy on you old man."
"Don't bother" With that, Callum turned invisible.
"Pft, too easy."
Perci accioed Callum to her then shot a powerful binding spell at him. He was trapped against a wall. He severed his bonds and apparated behind Perci who stabbed him in the side with a blade made of the corporeal form of her magic. Healing the wound, Callum summoned his magic daggers and they engaged in a powerful clash of blades. Perci apparated over Callum, her well-aimed severing charm chopped off his arm. He just grinned and a thick strand of magic took the place of his lost appendage.
"So we're getting serious now hm?" Callum asked as he charged at her once more with his magical weapons.
"Always were." Percy stuck her tongue out, dancing out of the way of his blows. That was a bad idea though because a spell turned her tongue to stone and it weighed her down. With the new weight, Perci failed to dodge a blow aimed at her left hand and said hand was severed.
Perci's eyebrow quirked and she called upon the moisture in the air to freeze and make a cage around her grandfather. The man simply sliced through the icy bars as though they were butter and transformed into his animagus form, a powerful leopard. Hazel eyes trailed Perci before he pounced, only for Perci to apparate out of the way and call upon her earthquake abilities to make a crack right where Callum was. she trapped him in stone, with only a small hole for breathing.
"I win Grandfather,"she said in a sing-song voice.
"Ok, fine, just let me out." came Callum's low growl
The earth shifted once more, releasing Callum from his stone cage.
"You've passed," Callum said grudgingly, reattaching his right arm.
"And without even using my animagus form!" Percy exclaimed, securing her left hand. Percy recalled fondly the first time she transformed.
It had taken her ages, she hadn't understood how the transformation worked. It wasn't by force of thought no, it was a form of wandless magic, a bit like transfiguration. Once she got that into her head, the transformation was a breeze. Perci remembered her feet shrinking and morphing into talons and feathers sprouting in every place she could imagine.
She had flown out of her enclosed practice room to find and mirror and figure out what exactly she was. However, she hadn't known that Draco had come over and was looking for her. She stumbled upon her friend and he let out a piercing scream.
"Oh my god" he'd breathed, "She has a damn phoenix?"
Perci had laughed in her animagus form, which came out as melodic squawking. Flying back to her training room, she quickly detransformed and slipped on her glamour ring before Draco burst through the doors, wide-eyed and out of breath from sprinting up the stairs.
"You didn't tell me you had a phoenix." He said accusingly "And a water phoenix too."
"What's a water phoenix?"
Draco looked at her in disbelief. "You seriously own one of the rarest creatures on earth and you don't even know what it is."
When Perci only shrugged, he sighed in exasperation before explaining. "Unlike popular belief, phoenixes aren't all red, orange and fiery. Long ago, there were phoenixes for all of the elements. Fire, water, air, earth, darkness, light, and all that. But wizards started hunting them for their feathers and tear glands so they slowly went extinct. It's believed that only two species remain to this day, Fire phoenixes and Dark phoenixes. So you, my friend, own an extinct animal."
Perci smiled sheepishly. "Er, not own per se."
"Then why was the bloody animal flying around your house?"
Perci just transformed instead of answering him, her ring shrinking to an anklet.
"Oh, ok, wow. So you are an extinct species of bird."
Percy twittered in response and landed on Draco's arm./
"Hey, your feathers are a bit weird."
Perci gave him a peck and an offended chirp for that comment.
"Calm down Drama queen, that's not what I meant. A phoenix should be monochrome, with only variants of one colour. But you seem to have two different colours. Most of your plumage is coloured in different hues of blue but near your but and tail, there's black mixed in."
Perci transformed back.
"And what were you doing looking at my arse Draco?" She teased him.
Draco smacked her lightly upside the head. "First of all, gross, you're like my sister. Second, there's nothing remotely attractive about bird butts."
The pair laughed for a long while after that about bird butts.
"Uh... Perci?"
The girl was pulled out of her musings by her grandfather. "What were you thinking about?"Perci cracked a grin. "Bird butts."
"So the next order meeting should be tomorrow evening. We finished your training at the best time possible, Dumbledore wants the whole order to move into Grimmauld place until the start of the term. You'll be introduced as Phoebe Hearst, the Niece of my Alibi, Garrett Hearst. Your father, Keenan Hearst perished on an expedition to obtain rare and dangerous potions ingredients 4 years ago. You've been living with your mother, Holly Hearst née Kelly. Your mother is from in old Australian line that was thought to have died out decades ago. your mother was the lone Heiress to the family fortune, hence all the money you have. Holly Hearst died in childbirth a year and a half ago, along with your newborn brother, Felix Hearst. You went into muggle foster care for 6 months before they found me, your last living relative on your father's side."
"Wow, tragic backstory."
"Indeed."
"Is there evidence to back it up?"
"Of course, forged memories for family friends, foster parents and youth workers, and documents for death certificates, foster care papers, birth certificates. I even got you a muggle social security card, passport and health insurance."
"Well if that's all settled, can Draco sleepover?"
"Of course, Draco's always welcome here. But no funny business."
Perci cocked her head to the side, confused.
"I know the two of you are 14 years old now and you're probably going to be experiencing some new feelings and urges bu-"
"Ew, grandpa. Draco's like a brother. never in a million years would I even think about touching him that way, much less fucking him."
"Language" Was all Callum had to say.
Perci Floo-called Draco and minutes later, he was standing in the fireplace, an overnight bag on his shoulder.
"Hey there Tweety." He said, hugging his friend.
"How's it going Daddy's boy?" Draco snorted.
"What cute pet names you have for each other" Callum's voice echoed from the next room.
The two turned beet red. "Next time we should give him a fright by pretending we're together" Perci whispered to Draco, leading him upstairs. She opened the door to her spacy room.
"Toss your stuff in here, then let's do something!"
Draco carefully placed his bag on the knob of one of the doors while Perci searched for something in her broom cupboard.
"So what do you want to do?" He asked his friend, turning towards where she was rummaging through the cupboard. She pulled a firebolt out with a grin.
"How does flying sound?"
"Great, let's go!"
The two sprinted outside, skidding to a halt when they reached a huge field. Only then did Draco notice the absence of a second broom for Perci.
"Erm... Perce?"
Perci just put a finger to her mouth then let out a sharp taxicab whistle and stared into the distance. After a few moments, Draco spoke up. "Er..."
Then he saw a huge black silhouette descending from the sky. The Pegasus landed and proceeded to pounce on Perci as though it were a dog. Perci just laughed as if this was a normal occurrence.
"Hullo Blackjack, it's been a moment hasn't it."
The horse whinnied.
"Yeah, I guess so."
Blackjack's muzzle found its way to Perci's hand.
"No doughnuts today, sorry"
Draco stood back, watching the interaction with fascination. His friend looked so calm when she spoke to her horse, although a bit loony. She spoke to it as though their conversation wasn't one-sided.
"You ready Dray?" She called to him, pulling him out of his thoughts. She had mounted the pegasus and was ready to fly.
"Nice ride Coldwell. Can you keep up though?"
Draco took off, a blur of platinum and black. Perci only chuckled.
"Let's show him what we've got Blackjack."
The pegasus' mighty wings beat and the pair shot off after their blonde companion.
Perci loved the feeling of the wind in her hair as she and Blackjack sped towards Draco, passing him with a little wink. They flew into the small forest on the edge of the Coldwell Property, lowering when a small clearing came into view.
Perci jumped off of her steed moments before Draco's broom flew in.
"Ha, I beat you Dray, and with your headstart too."
Draco only stuck out his tongue before settling himself on the ground.
"Draco honey, you're going to ruin your precious high-end clothing." Perci teased as she too sat on the ground, earning her a slap upside the head.
She giggled.
"Do you fancy a game of snap then Draco?"
His horrified look told her no. "The weasel twins have ruined that for me." He stated
"Chess then?"
"How on earth are you going to get a chessboard put here"
"Watch and learn Drakie poo"
Perci pulled her wand out and yelled "Accio Chess Game"
When nothing happened Perci just shrugged and lay down, staring up at the blue sky.
"It might take a moment or two"
She plucked a few flowers from nearby and started weaving them into gods know what. Draco stared at his friend as she calmly twisted the green stalks, not caring about the slime coating her hands or the pollen sticking to it. He smiled, Phoebe Hearst was like his sister, his only friend. Sure, he had acquaintances, even allies at Hogwarts but none came close to what he had with Perci. With Perci he could be himself, put all his insecurities on show without getting bullied or beat or worrying about his status in the Slytherin house. He would forego his Slytherin sense of self-preservation for her, something that would never even cross his mind for his allies in Slytherin.
Draco was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the chessboard flying towards him at top speed. It crashed into his head he saw stars. They seemed to float around his vision until he felt his head hit the hard ground and all went dark.